BSO — 2026/03/21

 FYI https://classical-scene.com/2026/03/06/andris-nelsons-to-retire/#comment-48715

This evening WCRB broadcasts a concert of music by Schumann and Tchaikovsky. Here's their description: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-01-08/the-romance-of-schumann-with-yunchan-lim-and-the-bso

Saturday, March 21, 2026
8:00 PM

In a program that embodies the heightened emotions of the Romantic spirit, 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition winner Yunchan Lim returns to Symphony Hall for Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto, followed by Tchaikovsky’s musical interpretation of a Lord Byron drama, the “Manfred” Symphony.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Yunchan Lim, piano

Robert SCHUMANN Piano Concerto
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Manfred

The BSO's performance detail page tells us more, and if you go to the page itself and click on the arrows, you can access program notes and performer bios. https://www.bso.org/events/mar-19-22-schumann-tchaikovsk?performance=2026-03-21-20:00

Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons, conductor Yunchan Lim, piano SCHUMANN Piano Concerto       intermissionTCHAIKOVSKY Manfred  

Vaulted to worldwide prominence as the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Yunchan Lim returns to Symphony Hall for Robert Schumann’s lyrical, introspective Piano Concerto, written for his wife Clara, one of the most admired pianists of the 19th century. Inspired throughout his life by literary sources, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Manfred — actually a four-movement symphony — based on Lord Byron’s Gothic verse play of the same name about a nihilistic nobleman wandering the Alps in search of meaning.

The Globe has a review/news story https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/20/arts/bso-andris-nelsons-heros-welcome-symphony-hall/?p1=BGSearch_Overlay_Results which praises the performance. There is also an admiring review in the Intelligencer https://classical-scene.com/2026/03/20/champions-cross-symphony-hall/ which does not ignore the context.

Even without the added drama, this seems to be a concert well worth listening to.

BSO — 2026/03/07

 Tonight we get an all Brahms concert conducted by the venerable Herbert Blomstedt. WCRB describes the program and offeers an interview with Maestro Blomstedt. https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-03-07/blomstedt-conducts-an-all-brahms-program-with-the-bso

Saturday, March 7, 2026
8:00 PM

Nonagenarian Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt returns to Symphony Hall to lead an All-Brahms program, including two choral masterpieces, Nänie and Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), sung by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and and his Fourth Symphony.

Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Lisa Wong, guest choral conductor

All-Johannes BRAHMS program
Schicksalslied, for chorus and orchestra
Nänie, for chorus and orchestra
Symphony No. 4

In a conversation with CRB's Brian McCreath, Herbert Blomstedt describes the relevance of the two choral works by Brahms to today's world, the complementary character of the Symphony No. 4, and what's behind his long-time success as a leader of orchestral musicians. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below. 

Learn more about the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2025-2026 season on their site.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath, and I'm with Herbert Blomstedt,

The BSO's performance detail page gives a more extensive introduction as well as providing links to the performer bios and program notes, for which you have to go to the orchestra's page and click on the arrow after the item you want. https://www.bso.org/events/mar-5-7-brahms?performance=2026-03-07-20%3A00

Boston Symphony Orchestra Herbert Blomstedt, Conductor Tanglewood Festival Chorus Lisa Wong, guest choral conductorBRAHMS Schicksalslied*, for chorus and orchestra  BRAHMS Nänie, for chorus and orchestra*       intermissionBRAHMS Symphony No. 4  

*Performed in German with English supertitles

Two choral masterpieces, Brahms’ Nänie (Lament) and Schicksalslied(Song of Destiny), crystallize the haunting beauty of classical poetry set to music, exploring fate, loss, and divine indifference. Brahms’ fourth and final symphony is a work of brooding intensity, a symphonic elegy that balances lyrical warmth with memorable motifs and an explosive grand finale. Initially nervous about the work's reception, Brahms downplayed the symphony, calling it "a bunch of polkas and waltzes.” While dance elements are present, the truth is that these dances form the foundation of a mountain of a piece that capped off Brahms's career.

There is a friendly review https://classical-scene.com/2026/03/06/altar-brahms/ in the Intelligencer. So far, nothing in the Globe.

Who knows how many more years Herbert Blomstedt has left? Enjoy his work while you can.

BSO/Classical New England — 2026/02/21

 It seems from their website that the BSO ia taking the week off. WCRB steps up to the plate with an encore broadcast. They've chosen a concert from April of last year, which they describe as follows: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2024-11-04/elgars-violin-concerto-with-frank-peter-zimmermann

Saturday, February 21, 2026
8:00 PM

In an encore broadcast, Dima Slobodeniouk leads three works, all notable for their proximity to wartime. Edward Elgar’s Violin Concerto can be seen in retrospect as an idyllic calm before the storm of World War I. Adolphus Hailstork’s Lachrymosa: 1919 explores the Red Summer of 1919, a deadly backlash against Black American prosperity in the wake of the war. Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements was the composer’s dark reaction to the universal devastation of World War II.

Dima Slobodeniouk, conductor
Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin

Adolphus HAILSTORK Lachrymosa: 1919
Igor STRAVINSKY Symphony in Three Movements
Edward ELGAR Violin Concerto

This concert was originally broadcast on April 5, 2025, and is no longer available on demand.

In a preview of this program, conductor Dima Slobodeniouk describes the emotional power of Hailstork's Lachrymosa: 1919, the extreme shift in energy among the different works on the program and the audience's role in facilitating that energy, and the qualities Frank Peter Zimmermann brings to Elgar's Violin Concerto. To listen, use the player above and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Brian McCreath This program. Three pieces that are so different from each other. Adolphus Hailstork's "Lachrymosa: 1919." Not a piece that I had known before, but what a gorgeous, beautiful, moving piece of music.

I posted about it at the time. The links to the BSO performance detail page and the Intelligencer review still work but the program notes aren't linked anymore. It's interesting to see a couple of negative comments about Zimmermann's playing in response to the review. I don't know the piece, so I can't judge how the violinist did.

Overall I guess I'd say this could be interesting, but not quite to the level of "must listening." Enjoy your evening.

BSO — 2026/02/07

 There are three pieces on this evening's Boston Symphony concert, the second inspired by the third. Here's WCRB's synopsis: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-02-14/esa-pekka-salonen-the-bso-and-bruckners-romantic

Saturday, February 14, 2026
8:00 PM

Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to lead the BSO for the first time since 2012 with the highly anticipated American premiere of his own Horn Concerto, a BSO co-commission composed for Stefan Dohr, principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic. The concerto draws on material from Anton Bruckner’s soaring, brass-friendly Symphony No. 4, Romantic.

Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor
Stefan Dohr, horn

Luigi BOCCHERINI & Luciano BERIO Ritirata notturna di Madrid
Esa-Pekka SALONEN Horn Concerto (American premiere; BSO co-commission)
Anton BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4, Romantic

Learn more about the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2025-2026 season on their site.

In a wide-ranging interview, Esa-Pekka Salonen describes the twists and turns of composing a concerto for the instrument he played as a young musician, the BSO's unexpected role in shaping his first impressions of orchestral music, his goals for the 2026 Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood, and what he learned from the late architect Frank Gehry. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity):

Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Esa-Pekka Salonen, 

The BSO's performance detail page says the following: https://www.bso.org/events/feb-12-14-salonen-bruckner?performance=2026-02-14-20:00

Boston Symphony Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor Stefan Dohr, horn BOCCHERINI/BERIO Ritirata notturna di Madrid  Esa-Pekka SALONEN Horn Concerto (American premiere; BSO co-commission)       intermissionBRUCKNER Symphony No. 4, Romantic  

Before Esa-Pekka Salonen became one of the world’s most renowned conductors, he started his musical life as a working horn player and progressive composer. He brings his musical worlds together in leading the American premiere of his Horn Concerto composed for Stefan Dohr, principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic. The concerto draws on material from Anton Bruckner’s magisterial, brass-friendly Fourth Symphony, which Salonen has programmed for the second half of this concert. Bruckner’s soaring symphonies are frequently described as “cathedrals in sound.”

This time there are links to the program notes. (Thank you, BSO.) Go to the page and click on the arrow after the name of the piece.

Finally there is this review in the Intelligencer: https://www.classical-scene.com/2026/02/13/city-country/ The reviewer has an interesting approach, overall favorable. The comments suggest that this is must listening, especially the Bruckner.

BSO — 2026/01/31

 This evening's BSO concert is another in the "E Pluribus Unum" series. There isn't much information available, because the BSO performance detail page for the concert isn't available, which leaves this description from WCRB along with the interview which you can access (audio or transcript) via the WCRB page: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-01-31/carlos-simons-good-news-mass-with-wilkins-and-the-bso

Saturday, January 31, 2026
8:00 PM

BSO Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the Boston premiere of Good News Mass, a new co-commission by Composer Chair Carlos Simon that includes narration by librettist and spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph and vocal contributions by tenor Zebulon Ellis, gospel choruses, and others. Simon’s mass is paired with another work of faith by contemporary composer David Lang. Inspired by the world of Charles Ives and the simplicity of New England hymns, poor hymnal was composed for the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble The Crossing, using a wide variety of texts to contemplate how we respond to those in need.

Thomas Wilkins, conductor
Jekalyn Carr, soprano
Melvin Crispel III, alto
Zebulon Ellis, tenor
Marc Bamuthi Joseph, librettist and spoken word artist
The Crossing
Donald Nally, Artistic Director
Gospel Choruses 
Dennis Slaughter, Guest Chorus Director

David LANG Selections from poor hymnal
Carlos SIMON Good News Mass (with video by Melina Matsoukas; BSO co-commission)

Learn more about the Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2025-2026 season on their site.

Carlos Simon talks with CRB's Brian McCreath about Good News Mass, its use of the Hammond B3 organ, the work's relationship to other sacred music, and the very personal origin of one of the hymns embedded in it. To listen, use the player above, and read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity:

Brian McCreath I'm Brian

We do get more information about it all in this review https://www.classical-scene.com/2026/01/31/boston-symphony-orchestra-spreads-the-good-news/ in the Intelligencer.

I wonder what it will mean that the "poor hymanl" is  "inspired by the world of Charles Ives." I've been thinking that Charles Ives should be included in any series about 250 years of aAmerican music, and the series has struck me as too focused on recent and contemporary music and too ready to pull in music from abroad with some tenuous connection to the United States. Well we'll see how this turns out.

BSO — 2026/01/24

 This week the "E Pluribus Unum" series turns to music of John Williams, some from movies and some "serious." Here's how WCRB describes the program: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-01-24/the-bso-celebrates-john-williams-with-emanuel-ax-and-gil-shaham

Saturday, January 24, 2026
8:00 PM

To celebrate one of America’s greatest and most expansive composers, Andris Nelsons leads an all-John Williams program! Pianist Emanuel Ax performs the Boston premiere of Williams’s Piano Concerto, and violinist Gil Shaham is the soloist in TreeSong and the Theme from “Schindler’s List," part of a program that also includes music from “Catch Me if You Can” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Emanuel Ax, piano
Gil Shaham, violin 

All-John WILLIAMS program
"Joy Ride" from Escapades
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
TreeSong, for violin and orchestra
Theme from Schindler’s List
Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind

The BSO program performance page is a bit more expansive, including links to performer bios but unfortunately none to program notes for the selections: https://www.bso.org/events/jan-22-25-john-williams-prog?performance=2026-01-24-20%3A00

Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano Gil Shaham, Violin All-John WILLIAMS program  “Joy Ride” from EscapadesPiano Concerto      intermissionTreeSong, for violin and orchestra Theme from Schindler’s ListSuite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Considered among the greatest film composers of all time, Boston Pops Conductor Laureate and longtime BSO family member John Williams is also known for his concert works. His new Piano Concerto, composed for Emanuel Ax, received its premiere at Tanglewood in summer 2025. Violinist Gil Shaham gave the world premiere of TreeSong with the BSO and Williams at Tanglewood in 2000; the piece was inspired by dawn redwood trees in Boston’s Public Garden and Arnold Arboretum. Shaham also plays the poignant Schindler’s Listtheme, and other music from Williams’s film scores begins and ends the program.

So far the Globe hasn't published a review. There is a fairly lengthy and favorable one in the Intelligencer. https://www.classical-scene.com/2026/01/23/williams-smiles/

Weather and other circumstance held me back from attending on Thursday or Friday, so I have no observations of my own to add. I'll be listening this evening, with particular interest in the piano concerto, although it should all be good.

BSO — 2026/01/10

 This evening the BSO returns to Symphony Hall. Thwy open this part of the season with the first of a series of concerts with the heading "E Pluribus Unum," celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

 Here's how WCRB describes it: https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/the-boston-symphony-orchestra/2026-01-10/samuel-barbers-vanessa-with-the-bso

Saturday, January 10, 2026
8:00 PM

To begin the Boston Symphony’s E Pluribus Unum, or From Many, One, a broad, multi-concert exploration of American music, Andris Nelsons leads the BSO in Samuel Barber’s hauntingly beautiful opera “Vanessa,” in collaboration with the Boston Lyric Opera. This is the BSO’s first full performance of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work, which The New York Times lauded as “the best American opera ever presented” when it premiered to 17 curtain calls at the Metropolitan Opera in 1958.

Andris Nelsons, conductor
Jennifer Holloway, soprano (Vanessa)
Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano (Erika)
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano (The Old Baroness)
Ganson Salmon, tenor (Anatol)
Patrick Carfizzi, baritone (The Old Doctor)
Wei Wu, bass (Major Domo/Footman)
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Betsy Burleigh, guest choral conductor
Boston Lyric Opera Chorus
Brett Hodgdon, conductor

Samuel BARBER Vanessa

The BSO performance detail page puts it this way: https://www.bso.org/events/jan-8-10-barber-vanessa?performance=2026-01-10-20:00

Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons, conductor Jennifer Holloway, soprano (Vanessa) Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano (Erika) Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano (The Old Baroness) Ganson Salmon, tenor (Anatol) Patrick Carfizzi, baritone (The Old Doctor) Wei Wu, bass (Major Domo/Footman) Alexandra Dietrich, staging coordinator Tanglewood Festival Chorus Betsy Burleigh, guest choral conductorBoston Lyric Opera ChorusBrett Hodgdon, conductorBARBER Vanessa  

Composed by Samuel Barber
Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti
Presented under license from G, Schirmer, Inc., copyright owners

Andris Nelsons leads some of the most acclaimed stars of opera today in performances of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa, a work considered by many the greatest American opera. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1958, Vanessa premiered at the Metropolitan Opera that year. Barber wrote the opera on a libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti; they aimed for a cosmopolitan, nostalgic work on lost love and the consequences of self-delusion. Barber’s romantic lyricism is ever-present in this powerfully affecting work, a centerpiece of this season’s E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One focus.

At the page there are arrows giving links to the performer bios and (hooray!) to the program notes.

Perhaps you can find the libretto somewhere. The program notes willl give a bit of an idea of what is going on, but it will be almost impossible to follow word for word without the libretto. 

The favorable review in the Intelligencer https://www.classical-scene.com/2026/01/10/bso-vanessa/ might be interesrting.

Well, I heard the Saturday afternoon broadcast from the Met in 1958 and didn't much care fior it then. I was there on Thursday evening this week and still don't like it. Apart from a couple of spots (especially the party scene) the music is unmelodic to my ears, and even with supertitles it wasn't always easy to figure out what they were singing. The story itself is kind of interesting, and the guy who sang the role of the Old Doctor was very good, but overall, I can't recommend listening unless you're curious or really like 20th Century music.